Skipping breakfast raises heart attack risk by 27%

Men who skip breakfast have a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than those who don not, reveals a 16-year-long study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Also, men who reported eating late at night had a 55 percent higher coronary heart disease risk than those who did not.

Singapore: Skipping breakfast, common the world over, has for the first time been associated with increase in heart attacks. Missing out on the morning meal has been found to increase coronary heart disease risk, reveals a 16-year-long study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Men who skip breakfast have a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than those who don not, the study says. Those who reported not eating breakfast were younger than those who did, and more likely to be smokers, employed full time, unmarried, less physically active and drank more alcohol.

Also, men who reported eating late at night had a 55 percent higher coronary heart disease risk than those who did not. Researchers analyzed food frequency questionnaire data and tracked health outcomes for 16 years (1992-2008) on 26,902 male health professionals ages 45-82 before coming to the conclusion.

"Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time," said Dr Leah E Cahill, lead author from the Harvard School of Public Health.

"Our study group spent decades studying the health effects of diet quality and composition, and now this new data also suggests overall dietary habits can be important to lower risk of coronary heart disease," said co-author Dr Eric Rimm.